My Dear St. James "Familia,”
Greetings! St. James continues to do the work of the Lord, and we're thriving. Praise the Lord!
I want to begin by reminding you that Daylight Saving Time 2021 begins at 2 AM, Central time, on Sunday, March 14, meaning you can set your clock to 3 AM, at that point. Of course, most of us will “Spring Forward” our clocks on Saturday evening, before we go to bed. If you use your cell phone’s alarm, they usually reset themselves automatically. If you fail to do so, you may end up coming in an hour late to Church on Sunday. LOL!
Secondly, I have a series of kudos. There's Sara Winters and her helpers, who did an outstanding job landscaping a garden area in the Magnolia Courtyard. We now have a gorgeous contemplative garden which we may use as a backdrop for outdoor services in the future - plus a lighted pathway at night! We also have Dan Salas, who coordinated the Blessing Bags for the homeless project. It was a blessing to see this project come together as a group assembled the bags last Sunday. Last, but not least, we have Liz, Jon, and Twila, who continue to volunteer at the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition, which is a ministry to the asylum seekers. If anyone else wants to join us, we have been volunteering on Mondays, and there's plenty of work to do. Thirdly, I have a new ministry in mind. Our Border Patrol is overwhelmed with all the asylum seekers that were stationed in Mexico, new ones coming in, and all the work that goes into protecting our borders. Hence, I’d like for us to show our appreciation for all their hard work by presenting them with a basket of snacks or such. My thinking is that we would ask for donations, which a group of us could then present to a representative at the Border Patrol building in town. Hence, I would like to request a volunteer to help me coordinate this ministry. If willing and able, please let me know ASAP. In closing, I want to remind you that we are celebrating Eucharist every Sunday, at 9:00 AM; we have Compline via our Facebook page, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 8:00 PM (English & Spanish); and that we have 2 more sessions in our Lenten series, on Wednesday’s at 6:30 PM, via zoom. (Contact us for the link, if needed.) Also, please continue to visit our website for all kinds of information and resources, such as our calendar, links to our online giving website, link to our Amazon Smile Account page, and more. If you have any questions, you may contact us by calling (830) 308-3001 or by e-mailing us at <office@stjamesdrtx.org>.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Arnoldo+